Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., an abortion rights supporter and the only woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she asked the conservative judge about a document released Monday showing Alito in 1985 telling the Reagan administration he was particularly proud to help argue that ''the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion.''

''He said first of all it was different then,'' she said. ''He said, 'I was an advocate seeking a job, it was a political job and that was 1985. I'm now a judge, I've been on the circuit court for 15 years and it's very different. I'm not an advocate, I don't give heed to my personal views, what I do is interpret the law.'''

When asked whether she found his answer satisfactory, Feinstein said: ''The question is, Did I believe he was being absolutely truthful, and I did.''